‘I Took Out the Ring, Popped the Question, and She was Like, ‘What are you Doing?’ I said, ‘Will you Marry Me?’

BY JE’DON HOLLOWAY-TALLEY | Special to the Birmingham Times ROY & DEMIKA HODGE Live: Pleasant Grove Married: Aug. 21, 2015 Met: November 2003, at Home Depot in Fairfield AL. They were both working for the retailer and had crossed paths at various company functions over the course of a year before connecting. Roy, new to the city, had been relocated from Jacksonville, Florida to manage that location when he was in search of someone to take on a new management role at his store. Demika accepted the position and transferred to the Fairfield location from the Hoover store. “I vividly remember asking my assistant manager [about a person who could fill the position] … someone who is not afraid to hold people accountable, and [Demika] came highly recommended,” Roy said. During their time working together, they were “purely platonic and professional,” Roy said. “In fact, I moved to Atlanta [two years later] and we maintained a friendship until 2014.” The pair remained friends until Roy mentioned the possibility of moving back to Alabama for a position with Dicks Sporting Goods in Tuscaloosa. “By me being in Alabama, and him living in Georgia, our phone calls and relationship definitely took a...